ORU Lawsuit
Chris just sent me an email making me aware of the situation. My former government teacher Dr. Tim Brooker at Oral Roberts University, his wife, and another professor were fired a month ago. They have since filed a wrongful termination lawsuit and brought allegations of misspending and mismanagement on behalf of Richard Roberts, the school president. Read about it here and here.
It will be interesting to see the truth come out in the weeks and months ahead. My instinct is to trust Dr. Brooker and give him the benefit of the doubt. He is an honorable man, who loves the students and wants to see them succeed. I had several classes with him, went to Mississippi on a campaign trip, and spent a couple days with him and other ORU students in Washington D.C. He was instrumental in elevating student involvement in government and establishing connections with Washington D.C. and various state leaders. The leadership he provided will be sorely missed.
Again, the truth will be revealed with time. What’s sad is that, for most ORU students, it would not be hard to believe these types of allegations against Richard Roberts. There was a tangible cynicism on campus when it came to leadership of the school. It’s hard to articulate for outsiders, but everyone knew it was there. Angering the Roberts family was akin to angering the Clintons; you didn’t live to tell about it. Many students (and faculty I believe) loved the University and were grateful for how it brought people together, but despised how it was run. Dr. Brooker summed up my attitude and that of many others when he said in the press conference, “If they don’t make some very significant changes administratively, there won’t be an ORU much longer. Our goal is to help save the university.” Amen to that brother.
I owe a great debt of gratitude to ORU. The four years there changed my life. However, I could never wholeheartedly recommend it to others because of its internal problems. I pray they can come out of this for the better.
As an ORU alumni, I could not agree more. You have perfectly articulated my feelings and that of my wife’s, particularly in regards to the cynicism toward corruption in leadership but special connection among faculty and students.
The collection of people is what made ORU special. The school brings together some of the finest people you could ever meet. Let’s hope it can continue to do so for years to come.
The graduates of a school are molded by the faculty of that school. Each faculty participates in creating the graduate. When you lose even just one or two faculty, the final product of graduate could come out completely differently.